Friendships

Well, we mentioned two types of relationships, and we weren't lying. We've already extensively covered Niko's relationships with the ladies, but it's a fact that his relationship with the various male friends he meets in the game are far more important. Characters like Niko's cousin Roman, the crazy Irishman Packie, the forever-stoned Little Jacob, and the meathead Brucie are not only hysterically funny in their own ways, but they're integral to the story, and befriending them is important to open up even more features that will help you reach 100% completion in the game.

You'll meet these guys as you go through the regular missions in the game, as they all begin in one way or another as your employers. Many of them will remain friends to you through the game and even after the last mission has concluded, so you always have plenty of time to nurture your friendships with them. Unlike your relationships with various females, relationships with your boys will be more of a two-way street. Therefore, you should expect calls from them often. You can always turn them down if you don't want to hang out with them, but expect some negative responses from them next time you call them to hang out if you do that too often!

All of your friends have such specific likes and dislikes that, as you get to know them better, can be selected from your cell phone before the call is placed in order to cater to them about a specific activity (such as pool, darts, drinking, shows and the like). This is often a good way to cut to the chase and ask them to do something specific without having to pick a place later. Otherwise, you can call them generally and pick a spot from there, but remember!—your boys, just like the girls, are only awake at certain hours and won't answer their phones if you call them at off hours! They're all unique though, so the personal schedules of your various friends is something you'll have to learn as you go. If you get their voicemail, for instance, you know you probably called them at an off time, while they're unavailable.

Below are five tips that you should consider when hanging out (or not hanging out) with your friends.

01. Punctuality is Key

Girls don't like to be kept waiting when you promise them a date, and when you have some chill time set up with your boys, they'll be pissed if you keep them waiting too. So, when you call a friend up, try to be in his general vicinity before you make contact, that way you won't be late. Calling up Packie when you're in Alderney and he's in Broker isn't really a good idea, you know? Believe it or not, there's no such thing as being too early, but being too late? Well, that's another story entirely.

02. Go to Multiple Places

An option that you won't get with the girls but that you will get with some of your friends (especially your cousin Roman) is the ability to hit up multiple places during one runaround. So, consider perhaps going bowling or playing darts as a sort of primer before you hit up a bar to go drinking. Once you go drinking, you and your friend will be drunk and it'll be almost bedtime. Good luck getting home without killing people (or maybe even yourself!)

03. Play the Games for Real

There's no denying that bowling, pool, darts and the like aren't exactly awesome games in their in-game execution, but winning them against your friends and breaking your own records actually has its own place in the game, mainly that all games must be played and essentially mastered for you to reach a 100% rating. So while it might seem like it's all a formality (and in many ways it is), you should still put effort into winning each game handedly, at least one time. That way, if and when you go for a 100% rating, you don't have to deal with the tedium of billiards as your very last task (or worse yet, being at a loss as to why you don't have a 100% rating when you've done everything else).

04. You Want Your Friends to Like You

Why? It's easy, really. Sure, getting with your girlfriends is all fun and good, but if you get in good with your buddies, they're going to reward you for liking you so much. If you manage to get each friend to like you enough, he'll offer you something special that you would otherwise not be able to obtain. For instance, Packie can send a car bomb to a destination of your choice if he likes you enough, while Little Jacob will roll up to your location anywhere in Liberty City to sell you weapons out of his trunk. Dwayne has some thug buddies that will accompany you on various missions as support, while Roman has perhaps the most simplistic benefit of all, which also happens to be the most beneficial—he can send you a cab anywhere in Liberty City, for free. So, you really want these guys to be your friends, there's really no doubt about that.

05. Take the Time

Maintaining a relationship with your friends is time consuming stuff, and having a full social calendar can really slow down your progress in the game. But remember—the GTAIV experience isn't only about completing missions and side quests. It's about seeing everything this vast, wide open game has to offer you. Hanging out with your friends can be a drag after a while, because the activities can get a little monotonous. But persevere with all of them as much as you can, because as we mentioned in tip #4 above, the perks to a strong friendship speak for themselves.